A shelter dog who spent more than two years waiting for a family of her own has finally found her forever home — and her emotional goodbye is melting hearts everywhere.
Cali, a 5-year-old pit bull mix, arrived at Wags and Walks Rescue in Los Angeles back in October 2023. Little was known about her past, other than the fact that she had recently given birth to a litter of 11 puppies, all of whom were rescued and quickly adopted.
According to Erica Fox, Director of Animal Placement at Wags and Walks, cases like Cali’s are often the result of accidental litters or backyard breeding situations gone wrong. Despite her gentle and affectionate nature, Cali struggled to capture the attention of potential adopters.
“Cali didn’t really receive much adoption interest at all in her time with us, until her adopters found her,” Fox told Newsweek. “She was often overlooked. Unfortunately, there are many reasons people hesitate to adopt pit bulls, and once a dog has been on our site for a long time, people tend to just scroll past.”
Fox added that Cali also took time to warm up to new people, making it harder for her true personality to shine during meet-and-greets. While her puppies quickly found homes, Cali remained behind, eventually becoming one of the rescue’s longest residents.
Everything changed in December 2025.
Cali was adopted by a woman who had recently lost her own pit bull and felt an immediate connection after seeing videos of Cali posted on Wags and Walks’ social media pages. Lois, the rescue’s Adoptions Coordinator, said the adopter “instantly fell in love” and knew Cali was the one.
After waiting more than 800 days, Cali finally walked out of the shelter for good.
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A video of her emotional farewell was shared on Instagram and quickly went viral, racking up more than 256,000 views and over 26,000 likes. In the clip, Cali can be seen kissing staff members goodbye before proudly heading out with her new mom. The rescue even surprised her with a cake reading, “800 days later… you’re home.”
“It was definitely an emotional moment,” Lois said. “Cali made a huge impact on our staff and volunteers. She went around giving everyone kisses, like she wanted to thank them for helping her find her home.”
Now settling into her new life, Cali is thriving. She’s enjoying neighborhood walks, soaking up endless snuggles, and finally getting the love she waited so patiently for.
The team at Wags and Walks hopes Cali’s story inspires others to consider adopting, fostering, donating, or volunteering. As Fox put it, helping shelters “truly saves lives.”
Cali’s adoption video has also struck a deep chord online, generating hundreds of emotional comments.
“The little smile on her face sitting next to her new mommy!” one person wrote.
Another commented, “Be happy in your forever home, Cali. You waited so long for love.”
And one viewer summed it up perfectly: “This literally brings tears to my eyes. So happy for her.”